Image of Asia: Cambodian soldiers ready for UN mission

In this photo by Heng Sinith, Cambodian soldiers swear a traditional oath during a send-off ceremony inside the Royal Cambodian Air Force base in Phnom Penh. The soldiers were also blessed by Buddhist monks before departing to participate in U.N. peacekeeping missions in Mali and South Sudan. Cambodia is sending 135 soldiers to conduct demining work. U.N. forces are trying to keep peace in Mali, beset by separatist and extremist violence since a military coup in 2012. They have a peacekeeping mandate to stay until July 15 in the oil-rich Abyei area that is claimed by both Sudan and South Sudan.